Proos announces spirit tourney’s Final Four

LANSING, Mich. —Sen. John Proos has announced the Final Four schools of the 2017 Southwest Michigan Spirit Tournament.

“This school spirit tournament is about giving our community a chance to show their school pride in a manner that inspires creativity and competition,” said Proos, R-St. Joseph. “Each week, we have seen growing participation from people throughout Southwest Michigan as they express their school spirit in many different ways, from sharing images of earning victory as part of a team to posting pictures of memories of school friendships.”

The tournament began with 31 area high schools competing in four brackets named for features that characterize Southwest Michigan. Each week, the schools with the most points move on.

“Congratulations to the Michigan Lutheran Titans, Marcellus Wildcats, Watervliet Panthers, and Centreville Bulldogs on moving on to the Final Four,” Proos said. “Considering the amazing competition in the Elite Eight, the Final Four should be one to watch.

“The Elite Eight battle between Marcellus and Coloma totaled more than 51,000 points, and altogether fans of area schools submitted tons of photos on social media, registered hundreds of votes in Twitter polls and racked up more than 80,000 Facebook likes.”

The matchups in the Final Four are Michigan Lutheran vs. Watervliet and Marcellus vs. Centreville.

Residents are reminded that there are several ways to earn points for their favorite school, including voting in online polls or submitting unique photos about their school.

Visitors who like the John Proos Supporters Page on Facebook can also upload photos and earn bonus points when others “like” the photo. Another way to earn points is to follow Senator John Proos on Twitter and send a tweet to @JohnMProos that includes the school name and the hashtag #SWMISpirit.

The Final Four round will go through noon on Friday, April 14. The entire competition will end on Friday, April 21. The champion will receive a special tribute from the governor and area legislators commending their school and will house an engraved trophy until the following year.

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Editor’s note: The images submitted by area fans are available in the photos section of the John Proos Supporters Page on Facebook.